My Europe
#withariane

Ariane’s European tour

Bremen, Les Mureaux, Colleferro, Madrid… Before launch, each Ariane rocket makes a tour around Europe. While there were only three countries (France, Germany and the UK) in 1973, today 12 European countries, nearly 600 companies and almost 40,000 people are involved in the Ariane programme, all providing complementary expertise. It ensures that the Ariane odyssey continues.

An ongoing family history

Ever since the first Ariane was launched, the Ariane 1 rocket and its three siblings Ariane 2, 3 and 4 have carried half of the world’s commercial satellites – hundreds of satellites sent into space in just 30 years! Ariane 5 is continuing this legacy, and can justly boast that it’s one of the world’s most reliable launchers! In the early days, Ariane 1 could (only) carry satellites weighing up to 1.7 tons. But tomorrow, Ariane 6 will boost payloads of more than 20 tons into Low Earth Orbit! This progress is continuing, thanks to the solidarity and passion of a group of nations with a common dream to access space.

The Ariane 1 rocket and its successors Ariane 2, 3 and 4 have delivered half of the world’s commercial satellites.

One for all; all for Ariane 5!

Ariane 5 marked a major advance in terms of innovation. Conceived in 1987, more than 1,100 companies were involved in creating the launcher. Since then, there have been thousands of clever innovations to improve its performance and make it the launcher we know today. Each year, 6 or 7 launches are carried out at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana If we were to pile one on top of the other the 242 Ariane rockets that we’ve launched into space, you’d see a tower more than 12,000 meters high. It has become really quite routine for Europe, which, thanks to Ariane, has independent and guaranteed access to space. In any case, Ariane is continuing to exemplify every European country’s space ambitions.